Dental calculus is a deposit which forms on the surfaces of teeth at the gingival margin. A wide variety of chemical and biological agents have been suggested to retard calculus formation or to remove calculus after it is formed. Polyphosphonates have been disclosed for use as anticalculus agents. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,678,154, issued Jul. 18, 1972; 3,737,533, issued Jun. 5, 1973; and 3,941,772, issued Mar. 2, 1976 disclose such compounds.
Dental plaque comprises an accumulation of bacteria and bacterial byproducts on teeth. Azacycloalkane-2,2-diphosphonic acids are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,772, Ploger et at, issued Mar. 2, 1976 as novel compounds which are said to be useful in preparations such as mouthwashes and toothpastes in order to avoid the formation of tartar or plaque.
In spite of such work, there continues to be a need for new compounds and compositions for oral use effective for retarding calculus and/or plaque formation. In the present invention, flavorant, sweetener and/or coolant components have been attached to diphosphonic acids via an ester linkage in order to provide a tartar control agent which has improved and/or longer lasting taste and/or efficacy. Thus, one compound is provided which has two functions: improved taste; and tartar, plaque, and/or calculus control.